Another unSmart coach at work

[Skeptic]

Ah, nuts. I still can't make the paste function work but: the story concerns a decision by Georgia's coach to require reporters to clear certain injury or practice stories through him. How he would do this baffles me, as any reporter agreeing to that needs to be doing a hapless on-line blog somewhere, and Smart would seem to be competence-challenged just coaching football. I don't want to get to snarky about it since Johnson tried much the same thing for the same reasons and threatened to or did cut the reporter out of his "inner circle". That situation apparently was kind of dropped, which was good for all concerned.

But it is from Deadspin and can be linked from realclearsports.com, "Sports media and business" on the left hand column. Maybe somebody more technically adept can figure it out. Some football coaches need to get another life.

 

[MikeJackets]

The UGAG Kremlin at work!

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

Is there some standard protocol for the family of an injured S/A to be notified?

 

[Skeptic]

Is there some standard protocol for the family of an injured S/A to be notified?

Good question. I hope somebody can answer it because I never thought of it.

 

[OldJacketFan]

Despite it being Curby, I like the policy. If it's my son that is injured I better find out about from a coach before a reporter.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

Despite it being Curby, I like the policy. If it's my son that is injured I better find out about from a coach before a reporter.

the rational is fine. The childish hissy fit is not. You can't try to tell someone not to do their job especially when they don't work for you. Plenty of coaches have run into the same problem and none of them have made a grand stand trying to form a dictatorship around it. When CPJ ran into this problem he closed practices instead of trying to prevent journalists from doing their job.

 

[OldJacketFan]

the rational is fine. The childish hissy fit is not. You can't try to tell someone not to do their job especially when they don't work for you. Plenty of coaches have run into the same problem and none of them have made a grand stand trying to form a dictatorship around it. When CPJ ran into this problem he closed practices instead of trying to prevent journalists from doing their job.

I have no comment as to how he did it. He's not the brightest knife in the drawer and, as much as I despise GA, it's his program to run. I wonder how much angst would be involved by Tech fans if the coach involved was at Appy St? In this era of gotcha journalism how much fun would it be for a parent to find out their son suffered a traumatic spine injury via twitter?

 

[northgajacket]

the rational is fine. The childish hissy fit is not. You can't try to tell someone not to do their job especially when they don't work for you. Plenty of coaches have run into the same problem and none of them have made a grand stand trying to form a dictatorship around it. When CPJ ran into this problem he closed practices instead of trying to prevent journalists from doing their job.

Yeah but telling coach Smart not to have a hissy fit is like telling Jeffery Dahmer to have a normal appetite. Neither would listen.

 

[northgajacket]

I have no comment as to how he did it. He's not the brightest knife in the drawer and, as much as I despise GA, it's his program to run. I wonder how much angst would be involved by Tech fans if the coach involved was at Appy St? In this era of gotcha journalism how much fun would it be for a parent to find out their son suffered a traumatic spine injury via twitter?

He graduated from uga and you say he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer? How dare you for telling the truth.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

He graduated from uga and you say he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer? How dare you for telling the truth.

 

[northgajacket]

Translation please.

 

[Skeptic]

Despite it being Curby, I like the policy. If it's my son that is injured I better find out about from a coach before a reporter.

The issue wasn't Smart telling a reporter first. The reporters in question are at the practice and see the injury. He wants to control their reporting of what they witness. Besides, if he is really concerned about that then maybe he could call the parents. I wonder if he is concerned about it or it just frosts him that he can't dictate to them.

 

[OldJacketFan]

The issue wasn't Smart telling a reporter first. The reporters in question are at the practice and see the injury. He wants to control their reporting of what they witness. Besides, if he is really concerned about that then maybe he could call the parents. I wonder if he is concerned about it or it just frosts him that he can't dictate to them.

Curby is an *** but I go back to what I said. Reporters have no conscious, they are ONLY concern with breaking a story as soon as they can without regard for the consequences. The correct way to do things is to wait until the coach (whoever it is) to let it be known the information has been communicated to the parents and they're good to go and release the information publicly. Go back to the example I gave, a player suffered a traumatic spine injury and his parents find out via twitter? I would be beside myself if that was my son! Parents give their sons over to the coaches with a reasonable expectation the coaches will be parentis in loco, to watch over and protect their sons. IMO folks are getting so wound up with indignation simply because this involves Curby and Ga

 

[forensicbuzz]

Unless the player is under the age of 18, the coaches/staff can't discuss anything with the parents regarding health-related matters without written permission from the player. I don't think the issue is "informing" parents. This is the law, not a judgement call. I just went through this with my HS senior, who's 18, with a concussion protocol (water polo). It's frustrating for a parent, especially when they're still in HS, but I don't think informing the parents is the basis for this issue.

 

[kg01]

Unless the player is under the age of 18, the coaches/staff can't discuss anything with the parents regarding health-related matters without written permission from the player. I don't think the issue is "informing" parents. This is the law, not a judgement call. I just went through this with my HS senior, who's 18, with a concussion protocol (water polo). It's frustrating for a parent, especially when they're still in HS, but I don't think informing the parents is the basis for this issue.

Let's be honest, not wanting to give opponents injury information is the basis for this.

IMHO, this is a coach asking reporters to sit on injury news until gametime. We gotta stop assuming these coaches are motivated solely by concern for players' safety.

You better believe coach @forensicbuzz tells his water polo players to rub some dirt -er- water on it and get out there and play.

(I'm totally kidding, forensicb. )

 

[Skeptic]

Curby is an *** but I go back to what I said. Reporters have no conscious, they are ONLY concern with breaking a story as soon as they can without regard for the consequences. The correct way to do things is to wait until the coach (whoever it is) to let it be known the information has been communicated to the parents and they're good to go and release the information publicly. Go back to the example I gave, a player suffered a traumatic spine injury and his parents find out via twitter? I would be beside myself if that was my son! Parents give their sons over to the coaches with a reasonable expectation the coaches will be parentis in loco, to watch over and protect their sons. IMO folks are getting so wound up with indignation simply because this involves Curby and Ga

I think you are having a bad morning. The last thing you want is to have those in charge -- coaches, mayors, presidents -- telling reporters what and when they can report and releasing the information "publicly". (I would sure like to know, for instance, who has access and thus influence in the White House in this administration, and not leave it to Fox & Friends "publicly released" babble.) My experience with journalists is that they are no different than you or I, and in two distinctly separate careers I dealt with a bunch of them.

 

[OldJacketFan]

I think you are having a bad morning. The last thing you want is to have those in charge -- coaches, mayors, presidents -- telling reporters what and when they can report and releasing the information "publicly". (I would sure like to know, for instance, who has access and thus influence in the White House in this administration, and not leave it to Fox & Friends "publicly released" babble.) My experience with journalists is that they are no different than you or I, and in two distinctly separate careers I dealt with a bunch of them.

I don't know where you get I'm having a bad morning nor why you're expanding this so far beyond my comments that I can't see the horizon. I was speaking solely to the point of what seems to have raised so much angst among some. To me it's common sense that a coach does not want details of an injury to be disclosed before the parents can be notified. Simple statement that you can agree with or disagree with.

 

[Skeptic]

I don't know where you get I'm having a bad morning nor why you're expanding this so far beyond my comments that I can't see the horizon. I was speaking solely to the point of what seems to have raised so much angst among some. To me it's common sense that a coach does not want details of an injury to be disclosed before the parents can be notified. Simple statement that you can agree with or disagree with.

No problem with it except an "official" release and your blaming journalists for doing their job. I wish those in my local paper would do their's, for instance.

 

[OldJacketFan]

No problem with it except an "official" release and your blaming journalists for doing their job. I wish those in my local paper would do their's, for instance.

Got it

One thing I will say, journalists doing their job is fine and appreciated. Creating news to be "first" can be a very slippery slope

 

[forensicbuzz]

Let's be honest, not wanting to give opponents injury information is the basis for this.

IMHO, this is a coach asking reporters to sit on injury news until gametime. We gotta stop assuming these coaches are motivated solely by concern for players' safety.

You better believe coach @forensicbuzz tells his water polo players to rub some dirt -er- water on it and get out there and play.

(I'm totally kidding, forensicb. )

Nah, the frustrating part is the coaches/trainers can't have an open, frank discussion with you unless your kid gives them express permission.

I agree, this has nothing to do with the kid and everything to do with control of information. Let's face it, information is power, and the coaches want to keep as much of that power to themselves as possible. In this instance, I have no problem with the coaches wanting to control comments regarding injuries. Realistically, no one knows the extent of an injury until often times much later. Think about the number of questions the coaches receive about injuries that they really can't comment on, legally.